A flow chart illustrates charges announced by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara against more than a dozen Russian diplomats and their spouses living in New York at a news conference Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 in New York.
Posted on 12/06/2013 5:15:35 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
U.S. authorities have charged 49 Russian diplomats and their spouses with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, alleging that they stole $1.5 million from the American government via a years-long Medicaid scam.
According to a criminal complaint made public today, the former and current diplomats lied about their income and citizenship status in order to qualify for the health benefits, which they used towards pregnancy care, births, and post-natal medical needs. They were also charged with conspiracy to steal government funds and make false statements relating to health care matters, reports the Associated Press. The complaint notes that medical costs associated with 92 percent of births to Russian diplomats (58 out of 63, from 2004 to 2013) were illegally covered by the U.S. government.
The FBI conducted an 18-month investigation which led to the charges, and found that the families spent tens of thousands of dollars on luxury goods and vacations while exploiting Medicaid funds. Only 11 of the diplomats charged are currently in the United States. The State Department would need permission from the Kremlin to prosecute the defendants, as they are protected by diplomatic immunity.
(Excerpt) Read more at thewire.com ...
A flow chart illustrates charges announced by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara against more than a dozen Russian diplomats and their spouses living in New York at a news conference Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 in New York.
You learn something every day.
I never knew we were responsible for the Health care of Diplomats. I just assumed their Government took care of them. How many other Diplomats from foreign Countries are we paying health care for?
Another reason to get the UN out of the US.
Whatever happened to diplomatic immunity?
Read the article. They won’t be charged.
Russian emigrees to the US are showered w/ US freebies. Most of them headed here, fly to Israel first (posing as Jews) to suck up freebies there. Once on US soil, they claim "asylum" which generates hefty SS payments. They get job-set asides (which leaves Americans unemployed). Many get UI checks, welfare, food stamps,etc etc etc.
The Russian emigrees repay our hospitality by getting invnvolved in massive organized crime schemes---tagged by the FBI as the most vicious criminals in the US.
NOTE These are Chuck Schumer's constituents---the ones that keep him in office. Chuckie's voters spent lavishly on vacations, jewelry and electronics while they claimed poverty and stole from struggling Americans.
Schumer plans to takes over as Senate Majority Leader---that's when Chuckie will give the Russian Mob a Federal Reserve Printing Press and do away with the formalities.
NEED TO KNOW----did Chuckie use his govt office and US govt resources to setup freebies for these criminals?
NEED TO KNOW L/E needs to determine if elected officials benefited and/or facilitated this fraud. The crooks pulled this off smoothly. Elected officials may have helped----for a price. Read on.
==============================================
CASE IN POINT A Fla eye surgeon frequently prescribed expensive drugs, and got rich billing Medicare Sen. Robert (Dimwit-NJ) Menendez intervened twice in subsequent Medicare audits of the Fla surgeon (who was NJ Menendez's key donor).
Sen Menendez used his elected office on Dr. Salomon Melgen's behalf---Menendez intervened twice when Dr Melgen was found to have overbilled Medicare---Melgen was ordered to repay $8.9 million as a result of govt audits.
THE ODD COUPLE Court documents revealed Menendez donor Melgen (a Domincan Republic native) leased a posh Dominican oceanfront condo for Menendez who was allegedly involved in underage prostitution.
ETHNIC SOLIDARITY REARS ITS UGLY HEAD Menendez and Melgen were also involved in a lucrative Dominican port security deal to screen for drugs which was worth billions. An agitated Menendez intervened from his position on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee to prevent the US govt from giving the Dominican Republic free drug-screening port equipment.
=====================================================
BACKSTORY Melgen was a smooth political player known for rubbing elbows and jet-setting. Melgen roused the interest of the FBI, which raided his offices----their investigations illuminated the surgeon’s ability to build ties to a host of Democratic lawmakers.
Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey's friendship with Florida's Dr Melgen has yielded fundraisers, campaign contributions and trips on Melgen's private plane. Menendez flatly denied allegations that he traveled on Melgen’s plane to the Dominican Republic for sex with prostitutes.
Though facts remain piecemeal, a fuller portrait of Melgen has emerged....a trail of checks written to politicians, overbilling the US govt, and a web of business interests that apparently fueled his wealth.
Photo below of the beaming doctor sandwiched between Menendez and then-
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Ntl Assoc of Latino Elected Officials bash
in Washington. (Nice to see Nancy erect---off her knees.)
L-R--Sen. Robert Menendez, (D-NJ); Dr. Salomon Melgen; Rep Nancy Pelosi;
Francisco J. Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intl Trade, and Emilio
Sanchez, president and CEO of VOXXI during the latino NALEO Gala in
Washington. (Photo/ Melgen's ethnic solidarity website---Voxxi)
DONT'T YOU WISH YOU HAD A POLTICIAL PRESSURE GROUP,
TOO? The Ntl Assoc of Latino Elected Officials got a nice perk under the
Senate amnesty bill---the latinos cannot be prosecuted for wrongdoing while
in office. NOTE: Menendez is Obama's point man for amnesty.
============================================
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME Sap-Happy Obama is throwing people onto Medicaid----his scam to to make Boobamba care work---the O Team removed the Asset Test to facilitate this.
More proof that Big Government is totally incompetent.
NO WAY!
Next thing you know, we will have a few undocumented immigrants doing this too!
Luckily, most of them just come here to work, but out of 11 millions there are probably one or two grifters as well.
This is just shameful that the Russian diplomats would do something that would teach our harder working illegals invaders a “new” trick with which to club us to death. Awful!
Says only 11 of the 49 are still in US. The remaining 38 are gone.
Did they claim they were legal Americans to get it, or did they just get in line with the illegals?
Did you read the article and study the graphic? They lied about their status. They lied about their income. They spent their money on luxury goods while taking handouts from the US taxxpayers.
I’m looking to see some US businessmen get arrested soon in Russia.
Gee, reading the title I assumed this was a fictional, sarcastic story. It turns out to be the truth.
Diplomats to America are now among out nation’s “takers”. You can’t make this stuff up.
You're seeing farther into this than most.
There has always been the mutual expectation that foreign DIPLOMATS will get a free ride and live the good life in the US and most elsewhere.
This is optics, only Russian diplomats do this? More likely this is a sign of non cooperation on the Obama regime, and a very stupid one at that.
This could go very wrong as US citizens with government connections go to bed in foreign nations all over the world, and wake up in Russian jails charged with serious crimes.
It is a big no-no to make these stories public in terms of civilized diplomacy. It is something you can await from Zimbabwean or North Korean officials. FBI should have informed the Russian Foreign Ministry and make Medicaid sent them a bill. It is exactly how Russia, Germany, UK or any other civilized country does if any US diplomats are invovled in such a things abroad (and it happends much more often than one may think).
I don’t think any American businessmen will suffer as a result. It is simply not classy and Russians won’t act this way but you can see some incompetent CIA operators working in Russia exposed in the most humiliating way soon as a counterreaction.
Yep, this is something that one of the North Korean Kim types would do, or a five year old child. I figured that the Russians would only take action against US government connected citizens.
Notably, recently the US has been arresting foreign citizens for violation of US law and prosecuting them in US courts, when these foreigners have not been in US territory when the crimes were committed, or when arrested. Additionally, some of these foreigners have not committed any crime according to law in their home countries.
Not much has been said about this, but with the US losing influence and protection of International Law (UN), this is little more that kidnapping for hostage and extortion.
The Obama Rats think it only works one way, so far, historically that has never been true.
“Another reason to get the UN out of the US.”.
And not just the UN, there are millions of peoplein this country that need to get the boot, including the so-called president.
As I recall it didn’t work out to well for him !
Duh. to = too
Wow. It only took our eagle-eyed Dick Tracys 10 years to catch up to them, even though most of them were probably parked for days right outside the hospital with diplomatic plates in a NO PARKING ZONE.
It's a good thing illegal aliens haven't caught on to this scam - or other minor little possibilities like EITC for billions to Mexico or somebody filing for 2600 IRS refunds from the same address in China. We could be blowing some big-time money if we ever let our guard down. Glad to see we're on the job!
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